Cedar City native Joe Thurston

4:34 PM,
Jul. 10, 2013

From left, Ethan, Joe, Collin and Marsena Thurston pose for a photo at Disneyland.

Written by

A benefit event will be held July 20 in honor of a Cedar City native who died alongside 18 other firefighters while battling the Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona on June 30.

Joe Thurston's cousins, Tina Ekker and Toni Free, began planning the event a few days after finding out about their cousin's death, and since then, the support for the event has grown, Ekker said.

"We decided to do a benefit in Cedar City to benefit his family," Ekker said. "I started this little event, and it's been growing and growing. We're getting people calling and wanting to do more, and the outpouring of donations for the ...